Texas Wildflower Honey

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:97-104 ESV).

 

I’m a big fan of honey. Since ancient times, honey has been used as both a food and a medicine. It's very high in beneficial plant compounds and offers several health benefits. Honey is particularly healthy when used instead of refined sugar. The process of the making of honey is fascinating. Of course, you know it is entirely made by honeybees. As they collect sugar from the rich nectar of flowers in their environment they repeatedly consume, digest and regurgitate the nectar. The end product is honey, a liquid that serves as stored food for bees. The smell, color and taste depend on the types of flowers visited. Science has proven the presence of antioxidants in natural honey. And, many studies indicate a benefit from the honey in treating allergies. I must confess, I just like the way it tastes. Several years ago I discovered some of the honey produced in Central Texas. It seems to have a particularly sweeter taste than some of the others I’ve tried. Homemade biscuits and honey… can’t get much better than that for breakfast!

 

Our reading today mentions a comparison of honey to Scripture. His statement is that the reading of God’s Word is as “sweet as honey.” We ought to recall that this writing is not from someone who has spent years in preparation and training to interpret the Scripture. God’s words are open to everyone to understand, because they are not just deep thoughts but the source of all we need to live. To know God’s wisdom is not just to memorize it but also to live the way God wants us to live. Knowing about God’s words are not nearly as important as simply knowing them. Hearing them is the key.

 

Studying God’s Word can be as sweet as honey to our tastebuds; life is that good when we are living the way God has called us to live. Living God’s way is like having a flashlight so that we can walk safely on a path that would otherwise be dark and dangerous. We don’t need to fear taking wrong turns or making wrong choices when we walk in the light of God’s wisdom. Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (cf. John 6:68). Words of eternal life are the sweetest words of all! Read and hear these words daily!